Before - Legends Getting to Know You (AU, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, OCs)-Complete

Quick post because I have been MIA. I have not forgotten this. RL is just playing havek with my time and muse at the moment. Hopefully, I will catch a break soon and be back to finish this out before the middle of the summer.

 

Oh, thanks for bringing this thread up again! I had been reading and forgot to comment.

I really like your worldbuilding of the Tal'Shari and seeing them further portrayed here is great. I'm really enjoying how Obi-Wan and K'Tai's communications build a friendship that neither might otherwise have time for, and how they are learning more about each other's worlds. They aren't so different in some ways, and very much different in others. Between K'Tai's many family and political troubles and Obi-Wan's Jedi traditions, it's going to be interesting to see how these two end up being the weird-exception that they are in the future. The plague is a disturbing new problem, and seems to be getting awfully close to home.

Anyway, I'll also be here when there's more!

 

It's alive! It's alive! Well, I didn't make my mid-summer prediction, but late is better than never. I will try to keep up with weekly posts, but I make no promises. I'll reply in depth to comments with the next post, but for now on with the story.

Let me know if you would like to be tagged. And thank you for sticking with this!
Tags: Findswoman

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963:5:29

Hi K'Tai,

This will be quick. Congratulations on your rank promotion. It is well deserved. We're in transit between Stewjon and Kress. Qui-Gon says we need to touch base with the Council of Elders about some news in the investigation. It just happens we will coincide with your ceremony, although the timing is tight, so we won't be able to stay long. If I didn't know better, I'd say that Qui-Gon is going out of his way to accommodate my requests to see you in person. But I know better because to do so would be frowned upon by the Jedi Council. Of course, the approval of the Jedi Council is not something that Qui-Gon is particularly concerned about, but he usually doesn't openly court disproval.

That's strange about your vision. Stewjon is my birthworld, and I did indeed come in contact with my birth family while we were there. It was an educational experience, I think. I'm still processing it. I wish we were going to have more time on Kress. I'd like to talk to you about it. I'm finding it difficult to put it into the proper perspective. My family are essentially strangers, and yet they aren't. I don't know how to describe it any better than that. In this case, my master isn't any help. He has no experience dealing with "family" either. Maybe I will go seek out Master Piell when we get back to the Temple. He's one of the few Jedi who has maintained contact with his people and home world.

As for T'lor, you need to remember the Jedi adage that much of the truths we hold dear depend on our point of view. And T'lor's point of view is definitely biased. Did she tell you that she inspired much of what Garren and I attempted including Truth or Dare? She had her own dedicated sponge and bucket because she scrubbed the common 'freshers so often. Ok, so maybe that last part is a bit of an exaggeration, but it isn't too much of one. Her escapades as part of the Disorderly Duo set a high bar to which many an initiate and padawan aspires to this day. My own escapades pale by comparison.

See you soon.

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963:6:10

Dear Obi-Wan,

I wanted to thank you for coming to the ceremony. Please extend my thanks to Master Jinn as well. It meant a great deal to me to have you there.

Obi, because of the commitments on my time now that I am a full Healer and my renewed responsibilities to the Royal Court, I deeply regret that I will no longer be able to correspond with you. I cherish the times we have had together, particularly learning the katas, and hope that our paths cross again.

Steady paths and safe travels.
K'Tai

---

Obi-Wan looked at the data cube in his hand in disbelief. He felt sick to his stomach. She couldn't just stop communicating like that out of the blue. When he had last seen her, she was looking forward to telling him about the possibility of coming to the Temple to train. This didn't make any sense.

He took a cleansing breath in and exhaled, willing his growing anxiety to follow suit and leave his body. Jedi do not become attached. If it was the will of the Force that he and K'Tai part ways, so be it. He centered himself and sought clarity. What he got was a tightening of the knot in his stomach. Something about the entire scenario wasn't right.

He opened his eyes and played the message again looking at K'Tai closely. She was posed and professional, her manner more like what he had seen of her when she was on duty protecting Donal than when she usually wrote. It didn't look like she was under duress, but her eyes didn't match her body language. In them he saw hints of sadness and anger, and maybe toward then end a note of rebellion. It made him think that this last note was not entirely her idea. As he studied her expression, he noticed her hands. It appeared that she was making small, purposeful movements with them. He watched the recording again. It was almost as if she was trying to communicate covertly. Which would have been great except he didn't have a clue what the key to the code might be. He listened to the message yet again. When she mentioned the katas, her hand motions stopped briefly and he caught the pose. It was the starting position for "Re-group and Center," a Tal'shari sequence that was very similar to a Jedi kata. The first pose in that kata was "Rise Again."

He leaned back and stroked his chin, his fingers brushing stubble. Was she letting him know that she was in trouble? Or was it more subtle, that she would get in touch again? A knock on his door brought him out of his reverie. His master stood at the door frame.

"Is everything ok?"

Obi-Wan looked back at the data cube. "I'm not sure," he replied. "K'Tai's message was not what I expected given the last time we spoke."

Qui-Gon handed him another data cube. "Perhaps this will shed some light."

Obi-Want took it. Putting it into the player, he could see that it was from Kur-Cot on Kress and addressed to Qui-Gon. He looked up at his master, eye brow raised. Qui-Gon simply nodded and indicated that he should proceed.

"Trust me. It is for you."

 

Oh hello! Great to see this back and intriguing turn of events there.

 

No, no, no, you can't do this! If I came up with a major twist in my story and told my readers "I don't know when I'll be back" they'd kill me!

As for the rest...

I loved Obi-Wan's commentary on T'lor. Does he know that she has a double life? There's something so ironic about it all.

Great trick from K'tai with the hidden kata message. She is a smart girl... What in the Galaxy is happening on Kress this time? It's lucky that Qui-Gon isn't particularly concerned about the approval of the Jedi Council

Eagerly waiting for more!

 

I promised replies with the next post, so we'll start there.

Me too. I think the only reason that Obi-Wan doesn't is that he and Qui-Gon are used to it by this point.

Outside of the Clone Wars, I'm not sure. What I read in the Wook suggested that he would be more sympathetic, at least where a clash between code and what appears to the will of the Force is concerned.

Raptors refers to the original species of the ancient enemies of the Tal'shari who will be introduced later. While the Sith went and hid, this other group did not and so the most likely group to target the Tal'shari would be them.

And finally, I see K. has now met T'Lor, which makes me wonder...

Not yet, but as we will see, she is unwilling to let it go.

That's what you get for writing such awesome characters and enthralling stories. But you are in luck. My muse has been kind, so I should be able to post at least once a week and maybe more.

While he knows that she is often undercover, he has no clue that she has a full on double life. Only a select few Jedi know, both to protect them and to protect T'lor's investigation.

Ah shucks! Thank you!

Hi! *waves and wonders how we do not have a waving emoji*

I'm posting tonight so that if for some reason (like needing to fulfill my role as a taxi cab for children) I can't post during the week, the next bit is here. Thank you all for the warm welcome back and being willing to pick up where we left off.

Tags: @Findswoman

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963:6:15

Greetings dai'tadiate.

I am hoping that Kur-Cot is correct and this will reach you at about the same time as my last message. If you had sent something like that to me, I'd be confused and a bit hurt. I'm deeply sorry that I had to send it, but as I will explain, it was and is a necessary subterfuge. Obviously that was not my last message to you, but it is vital that Bus'cai believes that it was, at least for the foreseeable future.

Bus'cai is not a fan of our friendship. This is not new, nor was the fact that she was being difficult before you arrived. However, since you left she has been insufferable. Just after you left, she tried to get me placed with a different therapist and was told, in no uncertain terms by Kur-Cot with the backing of the Council of Elders, that Jen'sai was the best choice in this situation. According to the rumor mill and my mother's raised voice the other night, "there is a connection between the Jedi and the Tal'shari that must be explored, and Jen'sai is in the best position to do that." Then, last week the Council of Elders summoned me to the chamber and proceeded to tell Bus'cai that after careful deliberation, they were giving her one year to figure out how to release me from my betrothal or they would nullify it. Obi, the Council of Elders hasn't nullified a betrothal in centuries. It would be a political nightmare that would almost certainly spark significant unrest if not outright civil war because of the shame it would bring on Clan Letta. Bus'cai was all polite in the chamber but when we got home she was seething. I have never seen her so angry before. She was muttering about unknown matriarchs and the disgrace of having her judgment questioned. The thing is, the only person at this point who is upset about me not marrying Donal is Bus'cai. De'vona and Donal are willing to weather whatever bad publicity might arise, and at this point, I don't think there would be much if any. The people of Kress have come to see them as a couple. The only ones who will have their nose out of joint are the hard-line traditionalists who will go along with it if the betrothal is honorably broken through the recognized reasons. I tried to get her to see this, tell her that we could find a plausible story that would keep the Clan's honor intact and get me out of this mess. I suggested that we use the events on Unagin to justify sending me for a prolonged period of training at the Jedi Temple. I would be unable to fulfill my duties as Donal's consort, and the betrothal could be transferred to De'vona. Bus'cai launched into a tirade about outside influences on my development and forbade me, outright forbade me, to continue to keep in contact with you, even though the Council has explicitly told me to stay in contact with you. I pleaded with her to let me send you one more note to thank you for coming to the ceremony, and she agreed, but only because sending a thank you note was called for by diplomatic protocol. I hope that you figured out there was something going on and that I was going to try to get another message to you. Thank Unity that my mother only knows the rudimentary katas that every Tal'shari learns, or I wouldn't have been able to give you a hint.

After I recorded that message and Bus'cai saw that it was safely on its way, I went to Kur-Cot and Jen'sai, and told them what had happened. The Force is practically screaming at me to defy Bus'cai's wishes in this. I can't ignore that. The Council of Elders minus my mother agrees. So do me a favor. From now on send the messages directly to Kur-Cot. He will make sure I get them and that Bus'cai doesn't get wind of it. Force help Clan Tanku and Clan Fromen if she does. Kur-Cot would probably be ok, but Jen'sai would never hear the end of it. I think Bus'cai took it personally when Jen'sai aligned with their paternal grandmother's clan rather than Clan Letta. Never-mind that we are allowed to chose, and the youngest daughter traditionally decides to align with the paternal clan, especially if she has many sisters. Jen'sai was never going to have status in Clan Letta, but as the daughter of the eldest son, she is second in matriarchal succession behind my great-aunt in Clan Fromen since my great-aunt was only blessed with sons. I wouldn't put it past my mother at this point to make trouble for Jen'sai among the clans just because she can. I have no idea what has gotten into her.

Anyway, that's the craziness that has transpired here. I hope that you have been able to talk to Master Piel about Stewjon. I really would have liked to talk in person about whatever is bothering you. You still feel off. I can sense it when I meditate even though you have left. Did the encounter with your birth family really rattle you that badly or did something else happen? Oh, and what was it that Jen'sai was so desperate to talk to you about? I asked her, but all she would say is that Unity will not be thwarted no matter what any of us declares. Given what has happened the past week, I'm going to guess that it has something to do with us, unless T'lor or Master Jinn have some other contact with Kress that I know nothing about.

T'lor did mention that she and Rani (I believe that is her name) played a pretty mean game of Truth and Dare in their time. I have an open invitation to play with them if I ever get to the Temple and they both happen to be there. Since you obviously know T'lor well, does she always feel like she's hiding something? I could swear that I've met her some place before, but she assures me that we have not. What does she do as a Jedi? I can't quite picture her as a diplomat, unless she were engaged in aggressive negotiations. She has a wicked right jab that I just barely dodged when I startled her in the garden the first day I met her.

Ok, this has taken long enough. Stay safe my friend and let me know how things are in the Temple, or wherever you may be.

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963:7:30

Hi K'Tai.

I'm sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. We were deployed on a diplomatic mission that predictably didn't go as planned. I'll spare you the details, mostly because I've been told I can't talk about them. Suffice it to say that Qui-Gon and I are safe and not much worse for the wear. At least this time, his stay in the Halls of Healing was longer than mine.

Your second message did indeed arrive moments after the first one. I'm glad my instincts about the first message were correct. It was so out of character for you that I guessed it wasn't your idea. It sounds like one giant diplomatic nightmare. Have things calmed down since your mother believes we are no longer in touch? I hope so.

I have had a chance to talk to Master Piell. His take is that my mixed emotions were completely understandable. Whether or not I remember it, my parents were my first caregivers and my first attachment. I loved them deeply and still do on some level. Those feeling don't die, though they might go dormant. It is only natural that seeing them again would bring them up. But I naïvely thought that their feelings would have lessened over time as mine have. I wasn't prepared for them to still love me fiercely or for my response to that. I miss them, K'Tai. When I was young, I couldn't put into words the sense of loss I had coming to the Temple. Now that I can, I find I'm mourning a relationship I never had, and trying to come to grips with what it says about me that I am truly glad that I didn't have it. It is not because they are bad people; they are generous almost to a fault and remind me a great deal of Qui-Gon. I'm glad I didn't have that relationship because I belong in the Temple among others who feel the Force and where I can be what I am without frightening everyone out of their wits. My youngest brother is also Force-sensitive, although not enough to warrant training. I see what it has done to him, to connect to the world so differently from everyone around him. He's successful, but he's also reserved, afraid to be fully himself because it scares everyone around him when he just knows things or reacts to something before everyone else is aware that they need to react. I couldn't live like that. A Jedi has a responsibility to make peace with whatever situation he finds himself in. I'm not sure that I could make piece with being forced to hide that I am a Jedi for an extended period of time.

As for what Jen'sai asked me about, it was what I felt when I was sitting vigil with you on Unagin. I told her that I was simply following the Will of the Force, and that every time I thought I would leave you, it felt wrong, almost dangerous. I may not always understand the reason for the Force's promptings, but I know better than to ignore them. So I stayed. I was as surprised as everyone else that it seemed to help. I didn't tell her about how it scared me in a way I didn't expect to see you there, or how holding your hand let me feel like I was doing something when as far as I knew there was nothing I could do. I'm still not quite sure what to make of that. Thankfully T'lor was not there to see it. I would hate to have questions about that entire episode come up in Truth or Dare because it would definitely mean taking Dare, and T'lor owes me for a couple of things.

Speaking of T'lor, Rani and Truth or Dare, some advice: don't play unless you want to have to do something insanely stupid, like planting a kiss on Yoda's lips in front of the entire Jedi Council while they are in closed session using the excuse that you must stop him from dying a slow death by neutralizing the poison that was in his last meal. That is the level of dare that T'lor and Rani have no qualms at all about proposing. Don't believe me? Ask Qui-Gon about Dug mating dances. T'lor dared Rani to get him to do one with her under the pretense of it being a new kata she needed help practicing. He did eventually figure out what was really going on, but not before Master Windu stumbled upon them. T'lor and Rani were both scrubbing the common 'freshers every day for two months as a result.

Now that you mention it, T'lor does feel like she's holding something back most of the time, but I've always chalked it up to her work as a Shadow. As a Jedi dedicated to fighting the Dark-side, she does a lot of undercover work and sees a lot of things. She doesn't talk about what she does much, but I doubt that means she doesn't think about it. It would be hard not to.


I've got to run. Take care and may the Force be with you. Sounds like you could use it.

 

Whew, K'tai's situation is a big! mess! Obi-Wan's reply was a bit of normal even to the stint in the healers' ward - and the dares oh my! Poignant section there about the birth family though. Seems realistic and very much a common thing doubtless with those who are sorta Force sensitive but not enough. But the whole being separated altogether from your family of origin would also leave an inexplicable hole/gap emotionally.

 

Oh dear oh dear. K'tai's mother is really a piece of work, isn't she? It's lucky that she has her uncle on her side, although it would be nice if he, and the Council of Elders, were a little more forthcoming about the "connection between the Jedi and the Tal'shari that must be explored".

I love how you insert here and there in K'tai's messages to Obi-Wan details about the culture of the Tal'shari (in this case their social/family structure) and I'm still hoping to see all that summed up in the Fanon thread at some point. Did other authors from the USJS develop this culture as well?

As for Obi-Wan... landing himself in the Halls of Healing is something of a habit, isn't it? I guess these things would happen to you when your master is Qui-Gon Jinn. Very touching thoughts about his family and his brother there ("He's successful, but he's also reserved, afraid to be fully himself...") and hilarious transition to T'lor's shenanigans. Oh I would not, repeat not, like being caught by Mace Windu while mimicking a Dug mating dance!

I didn't say it in so many words in my last comment, but it's wonderful to have you back!

 

I'm solo parenting this week, so it's a drive by comment reply kind of night and a quick post.

I have wondered how, given the Jedi emphasis on becoming detached, new initiates cope with being separated from their families. I would think that for all but the youngest babies, the first few months at the Temple would be miserable. Then again, if all of the sudden they are surrounded by people who "get" them, it could very quickly become a place of refuge.

No, K'Tai was never part of the USJS and her backstory and therefore the culture of the Tal'shari have evolved since then. What has influenced it heavily is a trip to the Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. If you ever get to the U.S., you should go see it. It is one of the oldest continuously occupied places in the Americas. They are a matriarchal society and proud of it.

I'm not quite sure if its head canon or really from the stories, but it seems to be a theme among writers to indulge in Obi-torture by putting him in the presence of healers. I know it was a long standing joke in the USJS and the entire premise behind "Braid Boy Does the Full Jedi."

Neither would I. T'lor on the other hand considers it a point of pride.

Thanks! It's good to be back.

Happy belated birthday!!!

Urm, not yet, but I am rapidly approaching needing one. You can sort of figure them out if you remember that "qel" signifies alliance with the maternal clan which immediately follows it. Girls can choose alliance. Boys can't and are always aligned with their maternal clan.

I don't think it is canon, but it isn't my invention either. I've seen several other writers suggest that Obi-Wan had siblings, so I think it is part of my head canon.

T'lor does indeed become a larger part of this story as time progresses. Some hint of T'lor and Rani's Truth or Dare is in the USJS, but they were too old to play with Obi-Wan and crew of that story arc (although not too old to spy on them while they played) and not old enough to play with masters and knights. T'lor has been known to utter the words, "Whatever it is, Rani and I didn't do it," well after both of them had been knighted.

Thank you again for all of your comments and warm welcome back. And many thanks to Charity Rose for beta-reading. Let me know if you want to be added/dropped from the tags list (or if I have inadvertently dropped you...I suspect maybe I have done that.)
Tags: Findswoman

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963:9:15

Hi Obi.

Well, the craziness continues. I have decided that the best way to deal with my mother is to simply steer clear of her as much as I possibly can. Recently that has meant working as many shifts as I can in the House when I'm not on duty at the Royal Court. When I am home, my mother is watching me like a theracil. Luckily, that will end soon, but I'll get to that in a minute.

I'm sorry it took so long to get a message back to you. Shortly after I received your last message, I ended up in the field, investigating the source of a stream of catatonic patients that came in from the countryside. There wasn't much to go on, other than an emotional residue of massive trauma. They experienced something so horrific that they just shut down. I spent a lot of time with them, trying to get some sense of what has happened. All I was able to glean was that they were terrified. As a result, Jen'sai was assigned to investigate under the cover of rural rounds and I was assigned as part of the guard going with them. I think the entire town heard my mother when she found out. She said it isn't appropriate for the Crowned Prince's betrothed to be away from him so long or put in such danger. I pointed out that while I am betrothed to Donal, I am also a member of the House Guard, and as such, have duties that I cannot put aside no matter to whom I am betrothed. Even if we were married, I would still have to go because it is my duty. To not do my duty would be to shame Clan Letta, and we can't have that. You should have seen the look I got. But she couldn't argue with me.

The first few days were uneventful. Then we came to village that had for lack of better word had been polluted in the Force. I think you would probably call it the Dark side. It was bad enough that even the guards with us who are not particularly Force sensitive could feel that something was terribly wrong. The emotional residue wasn't much better. There was no one around. It was the same thing at the next few towns. We found survivors, if you want to call them that, in about the fifth town we encountered. You'll also never guess who else was there...Laren. Apparently she makes something that requires what she called a minimal level of Force control with a talent mechanical manipulation. She had a term for it, but I don't remember what it is. Anyway, one of her plants suffered a raid, and the workers were taken. She followed the perpetrators to Kress. She thought whatever we were hunting was a clan of Na'rath. That is not good. The Na'rath decimate Unity, wreck harmony, and generally do bad things. However, it explained what we had encountered. There was some debate about sending some of the less experienced of us back to Tendel City, but that was cut short when they attacked. I have never seen a non-Force user hold her own like Laren did. When it was all said and done, there were several dead Na'rath, a few casualties on our side, and we managed to find the remainder of her people. They are physically ok, but it will be a long time before they are healed. At least I now have some idea of what my patients are dealing with. It's a slow slog helping them put the pieces back together again, but I am starting to make progress.

As bad as the carnage was, and still is I suppose, what bothers me about the whole thing is what I sensed, or rather didn't sense, with Laren. I didn't notice it on Unagin because the Force was so out of whack, but it is more than just getting the sense of hiding something. Obi, I have no idea who or what Laren is but she is most emphatically not just a technology mogul with a penchant for avant-garde fashion. On the surface, she feels like she has no Force signature to speak of, but that woman can fight and when she does, the Force flows like a Tal'shari Guard or Jedi is fighting. And she is hiding something. In that, she reminds me a lot of T'lor. Who knows? Maybe that is what Laren is hiding...that she knows and works with a Jedi. I can imagine that would be something that she would want to keep quiet given her line of work. Jen'sai said I can solve that mystery when I get to the Temple.

Yep, you heard that correctly. I am being sent to the Temple to train with the Healers and cross-train a bit with the Shadows. It's the first step in an exchange program between our traditions. A Jedi will be sent to train with us in the future. I've heard rumors that I might be training with T'lor. I can't wait! Not only will it get me out of the betrothal mess because who knows how long I will have to be away from Kress, I stand a chance of getting to see you more often than a random visit here and there. Apparently I'm going to learn how to use a lightsaber. That will be interesting. Would you be willing to help me practice? And since I will be training with the Healers, I imagine I will see a fair amount of you if T'lor's description of how much time you spend there is even half true.

Well, I have to run. I should be arriving at the Temple sometime after the new year as long as Bus'cai doesn't figure out a way to derail it. I wouldn't put it past her to try.

Safe travels and steady paths, dai'tadiate.

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963:10:28

Hi K'Tai.

That is fantastic news! I can't wait to show you around the Temple. I'd be happy to help you practice your lightsaber technique when I'm at the Temple. I hope we do actually get to see one another more, although I sincerely hope it never involves the Halls of Healing. I am trying my best to not be a frequent visitor there since An-Paj threatened to name a bacta room after me the last time I was. I also won't be surprised if it turns out we don't see all that much more of each other. Qui-Gon and I spend a great deal of time these days in the field since I'm a senior padawan and essentially finished with all of my Temple classes. And T'lor is around even less than we are. If you are training with her, I would imagine you won't actually be spending much time in the Temple proper either.

Do you have any idea exactly when you will be arriving? If I know ahead of time, I can ask Qui-Gon to request that we have a week on the reserve duty roster so that we can be here when you arrive. I have a feeling that he would go along with that. Actually, I might just ask him to request the week with the note that it should coincide with your arrival. On second thought, that is likely to get me called in front of the Council again. Enduring the stink eye from Master Windu once this year is quite enough.

Those Na'rath sound dangerous. What did they do to your patients, some sort of twisted psychological torture? I'm think I'm glad I didn't know you were in the field. After Unagin, I have to admit that it would have caused me to worry in a very un-Jedi like fashion. I suppose I will have to get used to it if you are indeed training with T'lor and not stuck in the Halls of Healing. Anyway, I'm happy to hear that it worked out okay in the end and that you have been able to make progress with helping your patients recover. Luckily, the Temple is devoid of Na'rath or anything remotely like them. The worst we have are particularly grumpy masters or padawans who have yet to learn to let their anger flow into the Force.

I don't know what to tell you about Laren. I've only been in her presence for maybe 5-10 minutes and never during a fight. You should talk about your suspicions with T'lor. It's right up her alley to deal with that kind of thing. And if Laren is working covertly with a Jedi, T'lor probably knows about it.

I've got to go. I've been learning a new variation on one of the mirror katas and Qui-Gon wants us to practice it right now. Let me know when you are scheduled to arrive.


May the Force be with you, my friend.

 

Terrific news about K'Tai's trainning with T'lor. Definitely a solution to more than one situation. Laren sounds ominous, more like a Sith type than anything. Love Kenobi's commentary about how he would worry and the reaction from Mace Windu!

Yup, definitely if his and her paths crossed more often, this reader would squee!

 

Wow, so many important developments in this exchange of letters!

K'tai's mother is really a piece of work. And the thing is that, sitting on the Council of Elders, she knows something we (and K'tai) don't. It makes her all the more annoying.

The Na'rath sound creepy. Why are all these Dark Side things happening on and near Kress? This isn't a mere coincidence, is it?

He. Hehe. Hehehe.

So K'tai is getting her wish and going to the Temple! That should get her mother off her back (although I sense that she's not out of the woods yet) and disentangle her from this ridiculous betrothal situation. But then...

I imagine this means a lot of adventures down the road, but maybe they'll share some of those? On the other hand, I'm really enjoying the epistolary format of this story, so I'm torn between them spending more time together and continuing to write to each other.

That is so totally the sort of request that earns you the stink eye from Mace Windu It's absolutely adorable how they have no real clue what they're doing. But then, the will of the Force, blah blah, all that should keep the Council in check.

It was a lovely update!

 

The end of another week of solo parenting, and I finally have a chance to post.

That is a very keen observation. While she isn't a Sith, Lauren is indeed not what she seems on more than one level, and she often uses that to her advantage.

He's slowly learning. It's a life-long and then some lesson for him.

Ask and ye shall receive. The title is "Interludes" and I blame you for it. I should have the first chapter up tonight.

Yep. Bus'cai's priorities are definitely being set first by the politics she seems to think she has to play and then by the resurfacing of the Na'rath on Kress. She trusts K'Tai to keep the Crown Prince safe, and that keeps the political landscape as is. K'Tai is her star offspring, a healer before the age of 20, betrothed to the Crown Prince. K'Tai confers status to Clan Letta. If, as Bus'cai fears, the bond between the Tal'shari and Jedi is because K'Tai and Obi are sesench'ain, there will be political repercussions because the Jedi don't have families. Bus'cai is scared, and that is making her behave less than rationally.

Tal'shari guards are formidable, and they don't have the restriction of using "just" the light-side of the Force. That makes enemies over the years and probably has drawn the attention of the Sith.

As an author, I am too. It's an interesting exercise to tell the story through the letter format. And for the characters, their story is essentially about being together even though they are not physically together. However, I'm being pulled to write a bit about their escapades together as a change of pace. I have to come up with the scenes anyway in order to be able to write about them, and there are several I want to flesh out a bit, in part because I think I will learn a lot about K'Tai in the process.

So this is the last of the letters from this period of time in their relationship. Thank you so much for reading and commenting! Your feedback has improved this story immensely.

Tags: Findswoman

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964:1:5

Hi Obi-Wan.

Well, it is official and Bus’cai can’t do anything about it. I’ll be arriving at the Temple in 10 standard days. Kur-Cot is coming with me. He wants to train a bit with the Jedi Healers. I joked with him that maybe we could learn about lightsabers together. He said with age comes wisdom, including knowing when not to tempt the Force to make a fool of one’s self. We’ll be arriving by diplomatic shuttle. If you can finagle your way into meeting us, that would be great.

I have to run. I’ve got a lot of things to take care of before we leave.

Safe travels and steady paths, dai'tadiate. I will see you soon.
- K'Tai

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Epilogue

Obi-Wan stood at the edge of the landing platform, his hands folded into the opposite sleeves of his robes, trying for all he was worth to look the epitome of Jedi calm. Faking it until you make it, his master called it. Today, there was no faking it. He fidgeted.

"Padawan."

Obi-Wan had the good sense to look contrite. "Yes, Master." He took a deep breath and reached for the Force and his center. She was closer, her essence easier to detect. He was, to his mind, inexplicably excited to see her. Yes, they were good friends, but he was good friends with others in the Temple and their arrivals did not elicit these emotions. He frowned a bit and shifted again.

T'lor watched the young man to her side. "Obi-Wan, what has gotten into you?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I'm looking forward to seeing her, that's all. It's been awhile." He paused and looked thoughtful. "She feels...off."

Qui-Gon looked at his apprentice. Obi-Wan bounced on his toes, realized what he was doing and stopped. Qui-Gon smiled a little. His attention turned back to the landing platform as the diplomatic shuttle settled into its berth. The engines hissed as the loading ramp extended down. Qui-Gon felt a burst of excitement in the Force, quickly subdued, from his apprentice.

Passengers disembarked. Obi-Wan scanned the crowd for her, hard to do because of her height. He found Kur-Cot, K'Tai by his side. The two Tal'shari made their way slowly through the crowd to the Jedi. They stopped and extended their hands, palms up. The three Jedi bowed in return.

"Greetings Master Jinn, Knight Kaden, and Padawan Kenobi. It is good to see you all again," Kur-Cot said.

"Welcome Coruscant," Qui-Gon replied. Before he could say anything else, K'Tai moved forward and enveloped Obi-Wan in a hug. Obi-Wan's eyes went wide with surprise, but he found himself hugging her back as if it was the most natural thing for a Jedi to do. T'lor and Kur-Cot chuckled as K'Tai was obviously relishing both the contact and Obi-Wan's unease. Qui-Gon arched an eyebrow and cleared his throat. "Um, K'Tai..."

K'Tai let go of Obi-Wan, beaming from ear to ear. "I know, I know. Completely inappropriate behavior for the Temple, which is why I got it out of my system here. I won't do it again, at least not in a gigantic public display." She giggled a little. "I promise to work on developing the appropriate Jedi reserve." She turned her attention back to Obi-Wan. "I'm just really glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too." Obi-Wan smiled at her, blue eyes electric with genuine feeling. "It has been a long time, and we have some catching up to do." He felt himself reaching for her hand and quickly folded his arms into his sleeves. Qui-Gon was going to have him doing extra meditation on the importance of discipline and self-control if he wasn't careful.

"And you will have time to do that after we get you settled into the Temple. This way," T'lor said, leading them to the speeder that was waiting to transport them back to the Temple.

They climbed in, K'Tai sandwiched between Obi-Wan and Kur-Cot in the back, T'lor and Qui-Gon in the front. As they pulled away from the space port, K'Tai's frowned.

"I thought leaving the space port would help," she said to Kur-Cot.

"Help what?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The buzz in my head. I've never been some place with as many people as Coruscant. It's overwhelming."

"Your empathy?"

"That and the Force. It's Unity but only just. It reminds me of the vids I've seen of stampeding nerfs where from afar they look like one great wave but up close you can see they are individuals." K'Tai shook her head. "I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it's going to take some time."

Qui-Gon replied, "As you guessed, it is a function of the population density here combined with the fact that most of the surface has been covered in city scape. There is very little natural space through which the Force can flow."

Just then the Temple appeared before them. Obi-Wan watched K'Tai's face as she took in the sight for the first time.

"Wow! It's beautiful," she said. "You must be able to tell how close you are by the way the Force changes as you approach. I've never felt anything like it."

Qui-Gon glanced at T'lor who shrugged. He asked, "What do you mean tell how close we are by the way the Force flows?"

K'Tai thought about it. "Unity doesn't feel as restless here as it did in the spaceport. It feels more harmonious. It's nice."

She broke her gaze from the Temple long enough to make eye contact with Obi-Wan and saw a puzzled look on his face. "I'm guessing that you don't notice a difference?"

He shook his head. "Not really. The Force feels the mostly same to me no matter where I am on Coruscant. Speaking of different places on Coruscant, T'lor do you mind if I take K'Tai to CocoTown for dinner tomorrow night?"

T'lor chuckled a bit. "Obi-Wan, did you just ask my permission to take my padawan on a date?" She could see Qui-Gon struggling to keep a straight face. Kur-Cot failed and was smiling.

Obi-Wan replied, "Actually if you consider Garren and Bant a couple, then I asked if I could take her on a double date. We are going to Dex's Diner since it is the first time in about a month that all of us have been in the Temple at the same time. I thought K'Tai would enjoy it."

"I don't have a problem with it, but then again, I'm not the one going. You might ask K'Tai."

K'Tai put her hand on Obi-Wan's arm. "Sounds like fun. As long as I don't get stuck in the Hall of Healing, I'd love to go."

They arrived at the Temple at that moment. K'Tai could see three Jedi waiting for them.

Qui-Gon led the way over to the Temple welcoming committee. "Master Kur-Cot, Healer Letta-Tanku, may I introduce you to Masters Yoda, Dway and An-Paj."

The Tal'shari extended their hands in the traditional greeting of the M'ban.

"Welcome you we do to the Temple. A long time it has been since our traditions have trained together. Look forward, I do, to learning from you."

Kur-Cot spoke, "The feeling is mutual. We have much to learn from one another."

An-Paj stepped forward and grasped K'Tai's arm. "I am pleased to see you recovered. Your work on Unagin was inspired. You will have to tell me all about it, as well as share your secrets for getting Kenobi to behave as a patient."

K'Tai smiled. T'lor smirked and interjected, "I think one of them is to be a 18 year female Tal'Shari guard."

"Hey!" Obi-Wan protested, turning red.

An-Paj chuckled. "I'm out of luck in that category unless you agree to lend me K'Tai when Kenobi is in residence."

K'Tai took pity on Obi-Wan and steered the conversation in a different direction. "Actually, I'm looking forward to seeing how you treat lightsaber burns. While Tal'shari don't use lightsabers, I think the technique might be useful in treating blaster burns, particularly when we are practicing."

An-Paj looked thoughtful. "You don't use stun blasts for those training exercises?" he asked as they walked into the Temple.

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The end of the first day at the Temple found K'Tai wandering the paths of the Room of a Thousand Waterfalls well after most of the Temple's residents and guests were asleep. Her mind was reeling from the day. Once they had gotten inside there had been a quick tour of how to get from T'lor's quarters to the Halls of Healing, the refectory, the senior dojos, the Room of Flowing Water, and the Archives. She had attended two trauma cases from training mishaps, and had then spent the rest of the afternoon in the Archives researching the basics of healing crystals. Dinner had involved several introductions and much teasing of Obi-Wan by none other than Garren. She had her first lightsaber lesson with Qui-Gon following dinner before she had been dismissed to go sleep. Not once had she had any time to talk to Obi-Wan alone.

She couldn't sleep. She had tried, but it had proved elusive. T'lor had been called away to deal with a possible report of Na'rath. No one had said she had to stay in quarters, so she decided to find the Room with a Thousand Waterfalls. Obi-Wan had said it was his favorite place to meditate. She wanted to see why.

A few wrong turns and a missed floor on the turbolift later and K'Tai found it. As she stepped onto the main path she reached out in the Force, letting it guide her steps. She came to a stop behind a waterfall and in front of him. He was sitting, eyes closed. She took a seat beside him and sunk into the Force.

"This is nice," she said after awhile.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes to find K'Tai looking at him. He smiled. "It is. I'm glad you are here."

K'Tai reached out and gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Me too."

FIN

 

Wonderful closing letter & delightfully discombobulated epilogue at least from Obi-Wan's side K'Tai was all aplomb and poise. I enjoyed reading her observations about the differences between how "Unity" feels at the port versus the Temple.

Will eagerly devour the Interludes.

 

There's something in this scene that reminds me of another scene with Obi-Wan -- except that someone else was fidgeting and he was doing the chiding. I wonder what that could be?

That was a wonderful moment of adolescent awkwardness between the spaceport and the Temple. And of course...

... T'lor isn't going to make it any easier for them, is she?

Like Ny, I enjoyed K'tai's observations on how the Force "feels" on Coruscant. There was something touching in seeing her behave like a provincial discovering the big city for the first time, after all this time where we saw her play the part of the Tal'shari guard from a noble family.

And of course, it's excellent news that she found her way out of that ridiculous betrothal and is now near Obi-Wan

"Interludes" is on my reading list as of right now (and yes, Nyota's Heart has a way of making us all want to write more!)